Niger has opened an investigation after a rare meteorite from Mars, discovered in the country two years ago, was sold for $4.3m (£3.2m) at a Sotheby’s auction in New York. The 24.7kg rock, designated NWA 16788, is the largest known Martian meteorite found on Earth. Both the seller and buyer remain anonymous, and it is unclear whether any proceeds went to Niger.
The meteorite was reportedly found on 16 November 2023 in Niger’s Agadez region by an undisclosed meteorite hunter. An Italian academic report claims it was sold locally to an international dealer before being transferred to a private gallery in Arezzo, Italy, and later displayed by the Italian Space Agency. Two slices of the rock remain in Italy for research.
Sotheby’s insists that NWA 16788 was exported “in line with all relevant international procedures” and that “all relevant documentation was in order at each stage of its journey”. The auction house says it is “reviewing the information available” following Niger’s announcement of its probe.
Niger’s government has “expressed doubts about the legality of its export” and raised concerns over “possible illicit international trafficking”. The country’s 1997 heritage law protects “mineralogical specimens” but does not explicitly mention meteorites, a loophole that could complicate legal claims for its return.
Meteorites are not explicitly covered by most international heritage agreements, leaving regulation to individual states. The Sahara’s dry climate and low disturbance make it a prime location for meteorite hunting, but Niger has not confirmed how such a large object could have been removed without detection.